Brussels, Belgium – February 17, 2022: Commerce & Industry Minister, Hon. Mawine G. Diggs today, spoke on behalf of the Government and People of Liberia on the sidelines of the 6th EU-AU Summit.

Below is her speech:

KEYNOTE ADDRESS

BY

HONORABLE MAWINE G. DIGGS
MINISTER OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY
REPUBLIC OF LIBERIA

ON THE OCCASION OF THE

AFRICAN LEADERS FOR CHANGE
AFRICA-EUROPE WEEK

BRUSSELS, BELGIUM

17TH FEBRUARY 2022

Julius Maada Bio, President of the Republic of Sierra Leone;

Kais Saled, President of the Republic of Tunisia;

Cleopas Sipho Diamini, Prime Minister, Kingdom of Eswatini;

Christophe Lutundula, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Democratic Republic of Congo;

Janez Lenarcic, EU Commissioner for Crisis Management;

Kamel Ghribi, President, ECAM Council; Chairman, GKSD Investment Holding; President, Gruppo San Donato Healthcare Middle East;

Jose’ Manuel Barroso, Board Chair of GAVI, Board Chair of Goldman Sachs International;

Donald Kaberuka, Chairman, The Global Fund;

Thomas Ostros, Vice president, European Investment Bank;

Excellences;

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:

Let me begin by thanking the organizers for such an important forum coming at a time when leaders from our two continents have gathered here in Brussels to discuss key areas of importance and a path to a joint vision for 2030.

I bring you greetings from H.E. Dr. George Manneh Weah, President of the Republic of Liberia, who himself is currently engaged with activities of the AU-EU Summit and therefore is unable to join you here at this very important program.

Liberia like many countries the world over continues to face the devastating impacts of COVID-19 and the challenges it poses to health care delivery. However, the Government of Liberia under the leadership of H.E. President George Manneh Weah instituted several early health measures which quickly curtailed the spread of the virus and allowed the country to maintain microeconomic stability.

These measures proved to be very efficient as the number of cases dropped significantly, key commodities remained available and their prices stable. As a result, there is a positive growth rate projected by the World Bank and IMF for this fiscal year.

The Government of Liberia also promulgated regulations aimed at enhancing trade facilitation, supported our Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) which remains a key segment of our economy and a major driver of economic growth.

As leaders we must be cognizant of not focusing too much on the health and economic instability COVID-19 has imposed upon us in the last two years. Instead we must remain engaged across governments and organizations such as yours to build a more resilient health sector capable enough to deal with what COVID 19 has taught us and one that allows us as individual nations to become self-sufficient and self-reliant.

It is a known fact that COVID-19 has already claimed more than 5 million lives globally. It has caused an unprecedented stall in Global supply-chains resulting in unemployment, economic instability and other issues that have caused significant disruptions of value. Therefore, resulting in widening the existing inequalities between and within nations across the globe.

While it is true that Africa has strived to build resilience against the pandemic by implementing safe health protocols resulting in fewer deaths as compared to other regions, the continent is still way behind in its vaccine efficacy.

Our governments must now begin to collectively adopt a post COVID-19 strategy aimed at consolidating our respective vaccination programs. Whether it requires investing in new research mechanisms or building the capacities of current ones, we must do so to solve our current health challenges.

Let me use this medium to join other leaders and advocates across Africa calling for the reverse in the present global inequities in access and distribution of vaccinations and the transfer of knowledge for the production of vaccines on the continent. This I believe will address the immediate needs for more doses of the vaccines and increase the rate at which we put this pandemic under control.

While we continue to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic as a global community, we should not lose sight of the menace caused by other diseases. The health systems in our respective countries must be made more resilient to be able to address and support current health needs as well as prevent the occurrence of future pandemics.

Governments must also ensure that national expenditures are targeted towards improving health care infrastructures; creating enhanced health programs for women and children; and creating an environment which promotes overall increased access to health services for the general population.

Liberia stands ready to support regional and international efforts to ensure the participation of the private sector in the building of a viable and strong health sector. More than ever before, the private sector remains a catalyst for growth irrespective of the sector. Therefore, through public-private partnerships our goal for a revived health sector can be quickly realized. This will also compliment and support the function of governments and boost economic empowerment efforts for our youthful populations.

Exploring new opportunities with the private sector for investment in health care is the approach that every government in Africa must now adopt.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Excellences,

The renewed and strengthened ties between Africa and the EU must now, more than ever, be leveraged so that both sides can gain mutual benefits in the development of sustainable health

systems. With the ties between the two continents in many areas becoming more extensive, knowledge and skill transfers of health professionals, equipment and intellectual property must not lag behind cooperation in other thematic sectors.

To put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic and make our health systems more responsive to current and emerging threats, we must ensure increased supply chain, a scale up of vaccine and drug manufacturing on the African continent and ensure transfer of technology and know-how. We must also ensure that regional and international trade form a part of our recovery efforts.

Let me seize this opportunity to thank the leaders of both ECOWAS and AU for working assiduously and sparing no efforts in providing the necessary support required for free trade and improved business climates.

In recognizing the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, we must also seize the new opportunities it has presented us. Such as opportunities to invest in new smart technologies, production of new drugs and increasing the number of startups in Fintech and other ecommerce ventures. We must now move fast to make sure that these are available as demand increases.

We must always remind ourselves, that in a pandemic, nobody is safe until everybody is. Nor shall we forget the impact the health of our nations have on the viability of our economies.

I thank you all!